Fred to the Wolves yet succeeding
Carolina had one of their worst displays of the season in this game, but the Carolina Hurricanes Danish netminder was up to the challenge time and again to keep the Canes in this one. It’s a difficult situation for any goalie to be in, but Frederik Andersen was there when the Carolina Hurricanes could not deal with the LA offense, and with how the Kings pressured, it was a long night for Andersen.
How often can you talk about a goalie who gives up four in a game and give him praise? This is one of those rare nights. In the final 20 minutes, Andersen got shelled allowing something close to 20 shots in the third period of this game. However, the Dane remained unfazed and steadied the ship, as the Canes in front of him continued to bend and bend, but would never break.
Andersen’s shot-stopping was all that kept Carolina in this game during stretches. With the team being greatly overmatched during the third period, it was everything the Hurricanes could do to keep the Kings out of the zone and out of their net. It was a struggle for the team and the goaltender, but in the end, Carolina’s Vezina candidate came through.
At the rate he is playing, Frederik Andersen is going to end up being a Vezina trophy candidate for the league’s best netminder. He’s been sensational since his arrival in Carolina, and he continues to shine. He allowed 4 goals and still had a save percentage north of .900 in this game. He also had an assist tonight, so even he got in on the scoring act.